Dennard House
2000 | 851 Walker CircleWilliam Baker of Atlanta designed this lovely home at 851 Walker Circle, and this is the first time that this property has been on tour. Built in 2000 by Randy Watkins, the house with elegant classical style, is located on Ponder’s Pond in the heart of historic Madison.
In 2008 Rita and Lane Dennard moved to Madison from Atlanta where Lane was an attorney with King and Spaulding Law Firm. Over the past few years, they have done one interior and one exterior renovation. In 2011 they purchased adjoining property which included a small portion of the original Ponder barn, which has since been converted into a guest house overlooking the pond and will be open.
Rita said, “The setting and architecture were a plus for us as well as the open floor plan now that we have in-laws and grandchildren. We felt the existing dining room was too small for our growing family, so that room became a parlor. The dining room was created in a space that was originally a commercial kitchen for the prior owner who made wedding cakes.”
The exterior renovation Rita said “included a roof that was built over a portion of the back deck where in the spring and fall we spend most of our time.” Another outdoor space the family enjoys is the pond. The Dennards feel, “the pond has offered a great opportunity for our grandchildren to learn to fish. It’s quite a fun family affair.”
” The guest house has been a wonderful addition to our home,” Rita stated. “We have had antique dealers, a church intern (for 4 months), and other guests as well as over flow from our house. One of my most special memories of the guest house will be all the tea parties I have had for my grandchildren. We cook, we eat and play.”
Gardening has also been a special joy for Rita who said, “for me the yard has become a wonderful evolving hobby and project. I love being outside in the quaint spaces of our property,” she also adds, “our neighbors have been a wonderful asset.”